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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrification 1/5
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrification
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia
or ammonium to nitrite followed by the oxidation of
the nitrite to nitrate.
[1]
The transformation of
ammonia to nitrite is usually the rate limiting step of
nitrification. Nitrification is an important step in the
nitrogen cycle in soil. Nitrification is an aerobic
process performed by small groups of autotrophic
bacteria and archaea. This process was discovered
by the Russian microbiologist, Sergei Winogradsky.
Contents
1 Microbiology and ecology
2 Chemistry
3 Nitrification in the marine environment
4 Soil Conditions controlling nitrification
rates
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Microbiology and ecology
The oxidation of ammonia into nitrite is performed by two groups of organisms, ammonia-oxidizing
bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA
[2]
).
[3]
AOB can be found among the -
proteobacteria and gammaproteobacteria.
[4]
Currently, two AOA, Nitrosopumilus maritimus and
Nitrososphaera viennensis, have been isolated and described.
[5]
In soils the most studied AOB belong to
the genera Nitrosomonas and Nitrosococcus. Although in soils ammonia oxidation occurs by both AOB
and AOA, AOA dominate in both soils and marine environments,
[2][6][7]
suggesting that
Thaumarchaeota may be greater contributors to ammonia oxidation in these environments.
[2]
The second step (oxidation of nitrite into nitrate) is done (mainly) by bacteria of the genus Nitrobacter
and Nitrospira. Both steps are producing energy to be coupled to ATP synthesis. Nitrifying organisms
are chemoautotrophs, and use carbon dioxide as their carbon source for growth. Some AOB possess the
enzyme, urease, which catalyzes the conversion of the urea molecule to two ammonia molecules and one
carbon dioxide molecule. Nitrosomonas europaea, as well as populations of soil-dwelling AOB, have
been shown to assimilate the carbon dioxide released by the reaction to make biomass via the Calvin
Cycle, and harvest energy by oxidizing ammonia (the other product of urease) to nitrite. This feature
may explain enhanced growth of AOB in the presence of urea in acidic environments.
[8]
17/10/2014 Nitrification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrification 2/5
In most environments, organisms are present that will complete both steps of the process, yielding
nitrate as the final product. However, it is possible to design systems in which nitrite is formed (the
Sharon process).
Nitrification is important in agricultural systems, where fertilizer is often applied as ammonia.
Conversion of this ammonia to nitrate increases nitrogen leaching because nitrate is more water-soluble
than ammonia.
Nitrification also plays an important role in the removal of nitrogen from municipal wastewater. The
conventional removal is nitrification, followed by denitrification. The cost of this process resides mainly
in aeration (bringing oxygen in the reactor) and the addition of an external carbon source (e.g.,
methanol) for the denitrification.
Nitrification can also occur in drinking water. In distribution systems where chloramines are used as the
secondary disinfectant, the presence of free ammonia can act as a substrate for ammonia-oxidizing
microorganisms. The associated reactions can lead to the depletion of the disinfectant residual in the
system.
[9]
The addition of chlorite ion to chloramine-treated water has been shown to control
nitrification.
[10][11]
Together with ammonification, nitrification forms a mineralization process that refers to the complete
decomposition of organic material, with the release of available nitrogen compounds. This replenishes
the nitrogen cycle.
Chemistry
Nitrification is a process of nitrogen compound oxidation (effectively, loss of electrons from the
nitrogen atom to the oxygen atoms):
1. 2 NH
4
+
+ 3 O
2
2 NO
2
-
+ 2 H
2
O + 4 H
+
(Nitrosomonas)
2. 2 NO
2
-
+ O
2
2 NO
3
-
(Nitrobacter, Nitrospina)
3. NH
3
+ O
2
NO
2
+ 3H
+
+ 2e
4. NO
2
+ H
2
O NO
3
+ 2H
+
+ 2e